THE GREAT OUTDOORS Flying A Kite – It’s Not Just For Kids Page 5
WHEAT RIDGE MAYOR Moving From Mobility Gridlock To Mobility Bold Page 6
WEST METRO FIRE Camp Ember Sparks Girls’ Interest In Firefighting Page 9
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WHEAT RIDGE | APPLEWOOD | MOUNTAIN VIEW | LAKESIDE | BERKELEY March 18 – April 14, 2019 • ngazette.com • FREE
A Challenging, Fun Ride – WRPD’s 50 Years n By Mike McKibbin
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n half a century, the Wheat Ridge Police Department has gone from hiring off -duty Jeff erson County Sheriff ’s deputies to one with more than 80 trained offi cers and a solid reputation. The department was formed after voters approved incorporation on June 24, 1969. Today, it has 82 offi cers and 56 vehicles to serve a 9.5-square-mile community of 31,000 people. Several former chiefs and offi cers told stories at a Jan. 9 panel discussion to kick off the city’s 50th anniversary year. Howard Jaquay joined the department in May 1970 and served as a sergeant and lieutenant. He was the city’s second police chief from 1982-89. Three weeks after graduation from the county sheriff department recruit class, Jaquay was hired by Wheat Ridge. “It was a fairly casual fi eld offi cer training program at the time,” he recalled. “I spent a few weeks with senior offi cer Fred Girk. Our shift started at 6 a.m., but one day no one else showed up. So I got in a car and told dispatch I was in service. Nothing terrible happened, though.” Kent Higgins, who trained to become a reserve offi cer Continued on page 8
SWALLOW HILL MUSIC GUITAR AND BANJO STUDENTS WORK ON THEIR TECHNIQUE. PHOTO BY SWALLOW HILL MUSIC.
Swallow Hill Music Programs Blossom In The Highlands n By
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Ken Lutes
pring-like weather is a sure sign of new growth. Not only will burgeoning buds and bulbs soon fi ll the air and please the eye with their fragrance and colors, so will strains of many musical genres fl oat on the air in Denver’s West Highland neighborhood. Music instruction classes for all ages are held at Swallow Hill Music’s satellite school at Highlands United Methodist Church, 3131 Osceola St. Now is a good time to sign up. The spring session is underway, but “we have rolling admission for lots of our programming,” said Barry Osborne, Swallow Hill’s associate marketing director. “For group classes, folks can enroll until the end of the third week, which for this session is Sunday, March 24.” In its fi fth summer at the West Highland satellite school, Swallow Hill’s enrollment has grown to 70 group class students and 50 private lesson hours. In addition, about 40 Little Swallow students are presently enrolled, with room to grow. Geared for tots from six months to six years, Little Swallows classes “weave together sing-a-longs, storytelling, fi nger games, circle dances, rhythm instruments, and traditional, world and popular songs into a fun learning experience for each child and parent/caregiver,” states Swallow Hill’s online course description. According to research, Osborne says, engaging children in music education before age six helps the child to speak more clearly, develop a larger vocabulary and strengthen his or her social and emotional skills. Involvement in early childhood music programs is the fi rst step on the path to helping students advance skills such as
collaboration, creative thinking, personal expression and self-direction. Exposure to music in early childhood promotes literacy, gross and fi ne motor skills and prepares students for success in kindergarten by introducing them to basic classroom skills. Older kids and adults can take advantage of Swallow Hill’s more traditional off erings. “We are often thought of as a folk music school, and while there is plenty of folk
music happening at all of our locations, we teach many genres including rock and roll, classical, pop, jazz, country, Celtic, bluegrass, and beyond,” Osborne said. “The longer our students stick around, the more they come to realize how interrelated all these genres are.” Swallow Hill’s music school employs an “experiential” teaching method, that is, teaching music through popular and
familiar songs – “hands on” learning, says Osborne, who believes learning music should be a fun and engaging experience. “In many of our classes we hope to have students playing a song by the end of their fi rst class. We feel this outlook works for all of our students, whether they are very young children in our Little Swallows classes or Continued on page 11
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
David Kueter: ‘Everybody’s Voice Is Worth Hearing’ n By
Elisabeth Monaghan
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efore he was appointed to fi ll the city council vacancy for District 1, David Kueter already had been attending council meetings. “I’m something of a policy geek, so I enjoyed going to the meetings to watch what was going on,” explains Kueter. He also had considered running for city council in the past and discussed his potential run with existing members of, and candidates running for the council. An avid cyclist, Kueter is a leading member of the Wheat Ridge Transport Advisory Team and has established himself as an active member of the community. So, when Monica Duran declared her candidacy for state representative, Kueter’s name was among those considered to take her spot. Asked how he felt about being tapped for the position, Kueter refers back to his experience as an attendee at council meetings. “I left the meetings with the realization that not only could I do this, but I also found that even after being in the audience during four-hourNEW WHEAT RIDGE DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCILMAN long council meetings, I was still fascinated by the discussions.” Continued on page 11
David Kueter, wife Dawn Kral-Kueter, and Wallace the hound. PHOTO COURTESY DAVID KUETER.